Freedom or Insanity Awaits
by cactus452
Summary: Alice has always wondered what she did wrong to make her parents send her to the asylum. slight companion piece to 'Keep you forever' but can be read on it's own. one-shot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**I decided to put this up as a slight companion piece to 'Keep you Forever' though you don't have to have read that to read this.**

**It just tells of what Alice did to make her parents send her to the asylum.**

**Freedom or Insanity awaits**

"I'm sorry daddy." I hung my head guilt welling up.

I heard him sigh but didn't look up trying to fight back the tears.

"I know it's not your fault princess."

He took my hand and started leading me home, his small act of comfort making me feel worse.

I couldn't help having theses episodes, god knows I'd tried, but I hated putting my family through this.

I headed straight for my bedroom when we arrived home. My little sister Cynthia sat on the floor next to her bed playing with her dolls unaware of the drama about to unfold in the kitchen.

I sat on the edge of my bed watching her, wishing I could be that carefree again.

Raised voices drew my attention Cynthia paused in her game and looked up at me.

I tried to smile "It's alright sweetheart, I'll go see if everything is alright."

I stole down the hall and crouched down outside the kitchen door listening in.

"It's not her fault, she can't help when they happen."

"I know that Paul, but you were in public. If people ever found out I dread to think what could happen."

"What do you want me to do Susan? I can't lock her in the house in case she has a turn."

"What about Cynthia? She'd going to start realising something's wrong soon."

"So what do you suggest?"

There was a moments pause before my mum spoke hesitantly.

"You've said yourself we can't help her, maybe it's time to find someone who can."

My heart froze, what did she mean by that? Could I be cured? Hope sparked in me only to be doused when my father spoke.

"How could you even suggest that, she is your daughter."

"I know but we've tried everything else, Cynthia's our daughter too and if we can't help Mary we can at least make sure Cynthia has the life she deserves."

Tears poured down my face, was I really making my family suffer that much?

"I just can't do it Susan, she's still my little girl."

"I know. I'm just trying to do what's right for my family, what if they could actually help Mary?"

My father sighed "We can cope for now." I heard him stand signalling an end to the discussion.

I rose quickly making my way back to the bedroom wiping my face to remove the traces of tears before Cynthia saw. My parents were right to keep this from her.

I joined in her game hoping to distract myself.

A loud knocking on the front door came about half an hour later but I ignored it, lost in my moment of being an innocent carefree child.

"I'm hungry." Cynthia suddenly stated a few minutes later.

I smiled "Guess we should go remind mum it's supper time."

She took my hand as we headed for the kitchen, I could here our parents talking and stumbled a little remembering the last conversation I'd overheard.

I pushed the door open and announcing loudly "Cynthia's hungry."

This earned me a round of giggles from my little sister.

"Sit down it's nearly ready." my mum told me.

I sat next to my dad "Who was at the door."

"Old Ted, letting us know Jack Locke's boy fell in the river messing around on that rotten bridge. Apparently he's in a bad way. Alice?"

I was breathing very hard looking straight ahead in shock.

"I saw that happen." I whispered.

"Mary." my mother snapped "What are you talking about? You were home all afternoon."

"No earlier." I tried to explain knowing I wasn't making sense "In town when I…when I had a turn, I closed my eyes and saw Jimmy Locke fall in the river."

I winced in pain as my mother grabbed my shoulder's.

"Never say that again." she yelled in my face "Do you understand, it never happened."

I nodded my head quickly tears burned in my eyes and I heard Cynthia start to cry.

"She understands Susan, let her go." my dad said sternly.

She turned to Cynthia trying to calm her down "Go to your room Mary."

I did as she asked, racing back to my sanctuary tears streaming down my face, I buried my head in my pillow sobbing softly.

I didn't even really know why I was crying, it wasn't my mother. I was used to that, we'd never had a bond the way she did with Cynthia or I did with my father.

She had been very ill after my birth and my dad had pretty much raised me.

No I was crying for Jimmy Locke, I could have stopped him from getting hurt.

And I was crying for myself because I had no idea how I had seen what was going to happen before it did.

* * *

The next few days passed without major incident, every time my head began to pound and disjointed images flashed past my eyes I tried to just stay still waiting for it to pass.

News passed around that Jimmy Locke was on the mend and a huge weight seemed to lift off me.

My mothers anger faded and things slowly returned to normal.

It was three weeks later when things took a dramatic turn for the worse.

It was a nice day and my mother decided to take me and Cynthia to the park, it was full of other families and I watched Cynthia so my mother could talk to the other mothers.

My head suddenly started pounding, I slid down the tree trunk I'd been leaning against hoping no one would notice me.

Disjointed images flashed in my mind, I lay my head on my knees and closed my eyes.

_Cynthia was playing hopscotch with another girl, two boys chased each other coming closer to the girls one of them shouts startling Cynthia, she steps back into the path of an oncoming car._

My eyes snapped open searching for my sister, she was exactly where I had seen her.

I quickly moved forward, I wont let this happen again.

I didn't help Jimmy Locke but I could save Cynthia.

I rushed towards her as I saw the scene play out before me, there were the boys, I could even see the car in the distance.

I pushed myself faster and slammed into my sister just as she was about to step backwards.

My momentum knocked her to the ground and she let out a scream of pain and started crying.

"Mary!" my mothers scream cut through the fog in my brain "What do you think you're doing? It's ok Cynthia sweetheart, don't cry."

She picked her up glaring at me.

"The car." I said quietly, unfortunately it was long gone now.

Cynthia was screaming in shock and pain.

"Oh god Susan look at her wrist!"

Incoherent babbling broke out as my mother was surrounded by people.

I looked at Cynthia's wrist noticing the odd angle it hung at.

My mother turned to glare at me "Look what you've done."

"It could have been a lot worse, she could have been killed." I tried to explain myself, of course I felt terrible I'd hurt Cynthia but I'd seen the alternative and it had been much worse.

"'It could have been worse'?! how can you say that, you broke your sister's wrist and your not even sorry. And don't lie Mary there are no cars around here."

How could she not have noticed it "She would have been hit, I saw it." why wouldn't she believe me? I felt tears spring to my eyes.

"Home." she hissed grabbing my arm painfully.

I wrenched myself free forgetting we had an audience, I needed my mother to understand I hadn't meant to hurt Cynthia, I'd saved her life.

"I saw it happen, I saw her get hit." I screamed "Just like Jimmy Locke, I saw it before it happened and I saved her."

A ringing silence followed my outburst, my mother had gone paper white and was looking over my head, I glanced behind me and saw the shocked audience gaping at me.

Pressure returned to my arm as my mother dragged me from the park, it should have hurt but I was too numb to feel anything.

I put up no resistance as I was dragged home and locked in my room, I was in a state of shock, my family had sacrificed so much to protect me and I had just hurt them in the worst possible way.

I collapsed on my bed burying my head in my pillow hoping I would wake up, be allowed to start the day again, stop Cynthia getting hurt prevent my outburst.

I had never before wished I was having an episode but now I wished with everything I had for this to not be real, but it was too late, I couldn't change the past.

I didn't move until I heard raised voices from the kitchen, my father was home from work and being filled in on the days events.

I raised my head off my pillow trying to hear what was being said but I couldn't make it out.

"I can't believe you." I heard my father bellow, they were in the hall now.

"What else could I do? People saw her attack Cynthia then scream she had saved her life because she saw the future. I talked to the doctor after he'd fixed up Cynthia, it's the only way Paul."

"So what are we supposed to tell people when she just disappears?"

My heart skipped 'disappears' what were they talking about?

"The doctor said with cases like Mary's when a cure is unlikely, in order to keep things as normal as possible for Cynthia, it's usually best to say she's…"

"She's what Susan?"

I didn't hear what my mother said, she must have whispered.

"Is there no other way?"

"You saw what she did to Cynthia, we can't cope anymore. One day she might really hurt someone or hurt herself. She needs to be somewhere she can be looked after, we've tried our best but it's too late now Paul. The devil has her mind."

I didn't really understand what was being said, fear wrapped around me.

"When are they coming?" my father asked.

"Tonight, she'll be better off there Paul you know that."

My father sighed heavily now outside my room "I'd better explain what's happening to her."

I pushed myself up so I was sitting as my father came in the door his face a mask of reassurance covering his acceptance of my mothers wishes.

"I'm sorry daddy." there was nothing else I could say, I really was sorry but I knew it wouldn't be enough.

"I know." he sat on Cynthia's empty bed.

I bit back the tears, I wanted him next to me, holding me, telling me it would all be ok.

"Don't send me away." I whispered.

He looked at me then quickly looked away.

"It's for the best Mary."

My heart stopped as I chocked out a sob, he never called me Mary. He said it didn't suit me, I was always Alice to my dad, his princess. I couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

"Please, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, please."

"Not meaning it isn't enough this time Mary, you really hurt Cynthia and your mother and I can't overlook that."

"I wont do it again, please." I was really crying now, begging him.

"These people can help you, isn't that what you want?"

I nodded slowly, of course I did, I hated seeing these things that made my head hurt.

"Can't they help me here?" my last option.

He sighed "I know you didn't mean to hurt Cynthia but it doesn't change the fact that you did. You don't want that to happen again do you?"

And he had me. I'd do anything to protect my little sister.

I shook my head, I didn't want to go but he was right I was dangerous, I wouldn't let myself hurt Cynthia again.

He left then not looking at me as he locked the door again.

I collapsed sobbing onto my bed utterly defeated.

I spent the next few hours crying until I heard a knock on the door and voices in the hall.

"Mary." I looked up to see my father standing in the doorway. "It's time to go."

I chocked back another sob, I didn't want to go.

"Daddy please don't send me away." I begged again.

Another voice spoke behind my father "We'll take it from here Mr. Brandon." it sounded harsh and cold.

My dad stepped back allowing two men to enter my room and panic took over as they closed in on me.

"No." I screamed jumping up "Daddy Please." I tried to dodge past them.

One man grabbed my wrist pulling me against him, I fought kicking and screaming and managed to bite his arm. He let go with a curse.

"Daddy!"

I hissed in pain as they grabbed one arm each keeping there distance this time as they held me between them.

I tried to pull free but their grip was like iron.

I was pushed into the arms of one of them, he wrapped his arms around me pinning my arms to my side.

I fought wildly as I saw the other pull out a bottle and some cloth.

I knew it was pointless, a small girl of 15 against two well built men.

"Daddy help." I screamed.

Hope swelled as I saw him step into the room, he was going to stop them.

His eyes locked on mine and I flinched back as he glared at me.

"Stop it Mary." he growled.

All the fight went out of me as my hope crumbled away tears rolled down my cheeks. I felt the cloth get placed over my mouth and nose, the sickly scent of chloroform invaded my head and I inhaled deeply welcoming the dark oblivion that pulled me down, wishing never to regain consciousness and have to face the reality that when I'd needed him the most my father, my protector had let me down.


End file.
